Confirmed: Batman to join Superman in ‘Man Of Steel’ sequel

The sequel to Man Of Steel will unite Batman and Superman on the big screen for the first time, Warner Bros have announced.

Henry Cavill and Amy Adams will return as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, an official Warner Bros press release confirms, along with fellow Man Of Steel stars Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. However, the new Batman has yet to be cast.

Man Of Steel‘s Zack Snyder will be back in the director’s chair and is co-writing the sequel’s story with David S Goyer, who also scripted this year’s Superman reboot. Goyer will then go on to pen the screenplay. Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight trilogy, will serve as an executive producer as he did on Man Of Steel.

Snyder appeared at San Diego Comic-Con yesterday (July 20) to break the news. During the announcement, he dropped a heavy hint that the two superheroes won’t see eye to eye in the movie by bringing out actor Harry Lennix (General Swanwick in Man Of Steel) to read an excerpt from Frank Miller’s graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns.

“I want you to remember Clark,” he said. “In all the years to come. In all your private moments. I want to you remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember, the one man who beat you.”

Meanwhile, Snyder’s statement in the official Warner Bros press release appears to confirm that the pair will be rivals, not partners. “Let’s face it, it’s beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest superheroes in the world,” the director said in the statement.

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— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) July 20, 2013Production on the sequel is expected to begin next year and Warner Bros are targeting a summer 2015 release date. Since its release on June 14, Man Of Steel has taken over $630 million (£410 million) at the box office worldwide.